Counterpoint’s latest report for the second quarter of 2025 revealed a shift in the foldable phone market leadership. Huawei, having surpassed long-time leader Samsung, has become the new global market leader.

The Force Behind Huawei’s Rise: Mate X6

According to the report, Huawei achieved an overwhelming 45% market share of global foldable phone sales in the second quarter of 2025. The biggest driver behind this success was the company’s Mate X6, released last year. Powered by the Kirin 9020 chipset and featuring advanced AI features like EMUI 15, the Mate X6 has been particularly popular with Huawei’s strong user base in its home country of China.

“Consumers are gravitating towards the Mate X6, an ultra-premium book-style foldable that accounted for over a third of all foldable products shipped by Huawei in Q2 2025,” said Counterpoint Senior Analyst Mengmeng Zhang. He emphasized the model’s popularity with these words.

Huawei’s rise signals a challenging period for former market leader Samsung. Last year, it held a 21% market share during the same period. However, this year, Samsung has fallen to third place, falling to 9%. However, analysts say there’s still hope for the South Korean tech giant. Driven by the newly launched Galaxy Z series, Samsung is expected to make a strong comeback in the third quarter, particularly thanks to the strong sales performance of the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

While Huawei is storming the global market, the US market is dominated by a different leader. Motorola, with its iconic Razr series, reached record US shipments in the second quarter of 2025, thus solidifying its leadership in the region. This highlights the dynamic and competitive nature of the foldable phone market.